hashima island is also known as battleship island due to its unusual shape. japanese government officials plan to recommend it as a unesco world cultural heritage site. about 120 former students attended the reunion at the site of their old elementary and junior high school on monday. the island was once home to more than 5,000 people. but all residents left after the local coal mine closed in 1974. some of the ex-students were visiting for the first time in almost 40 years. >> translator: i can't believe we actually had a sports day here. it's full of memories and mixed emotions. >> the alumni association says it plans to work hard to pass on the story of life on the island to future generations. >>> a man from a remote mountainous region in central japan has been honored by queen elizabeth ii. he has spent decades working to remember british prisoners of war who died in the area during world war ii. he's also on a mission to strengthen international friendship. >> reporter: toji is the 67-year-old owner of a market in the central prefecture of mia. on monda